Some things will never change
by usagi1009
Summary: Rukia reflects on her feelings for Ichigo but will she confess? Oneshot for Deathberry IchiRuki forum.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone,

This one-shot is for the Valentine's and White Day contest of the Bleach Asylum IchiRuki Fan Club. The theme I picked is **confession**. It's a bit short but I hope you guys like it.

Happy Valentine's Day! n_n

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><p><strong>~Some things will never change~<strong>

It was a sunny afternoon in Soul Society as she lay on the grass staring at the passing clouds. Somewhere along the months they had been apart, Rukia had come to the frightening conclusion that her feelings for Ichigo were _different_. This conclusion was frightening indeed not because of the obvious complications of such feelings if she were to act on them but because of the simple fact they were completely new and unfamiliar.

As she lived her daily life doing the daily things she had done before Ichigo came into her life, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking about him. She would then start reflecting on her feelings and wondering why they differed from what she felt for her other important nakama. She had always had more guy friends than girl friends, but what made her relationship with Ichigo and the feelings that stemmed from it different than the rest?

Her friendship with Renji was without a doubt stronger than it had ever been, not to mention it went back to their childhood years. They had been like siblings; fighting, laughing, and protecting each other from the cold world of the slumps.

Her thoughts would then take her to Kaien; his kind eyes and warm smile. Kaien had a love for life that was so contagious she couldn't help but feel truly happy whenever she was around him. Because their meeting happened at such a crucial time in her life, he would always hold a very special place in her heart. He was a mentor, a friend, and the man who taught her the reason why life is worth fighting for.

She then proceeded down her list and thought of her nii-sama. Although cold and distant at first, their relationship had evolved into one in which she was able to say that she truly felt the warmth of sibling love in her heart. She respected and cared for her brother deeply.

And then she thought of Ichigo.

She laughed out loud at the fact that his bright mop of orange hair was the first thing to come to mind. Her thoughts would then go back to the first day they met up until the last painful day she saw his face. Why did he awake such feelings in her heart? It wasn't so much about what he did or about his looks (which she hated admiting but hey, he was definitely not bad looking) It was about the way he made her feel. Something she still couldn't put into words but knew exactly what _it_ was. When Ichigo lost his powers and therefore the ability to see her, she felt like something inside of her had also died.

"Damn..." She said out loud as she continued staring at the blue sky, the trees and birds soothing all uncertainties running through her head.

She focused her violet eyes on the white clouds passing by. They looked so calm, bright, and light. Clouds are funny though. They stir up this feeling inside of you and make you wish you could hold on to them but the closer you get to them to more it turns into an impossible task and a mere illusion.

"Is love like a passing cloud, Ichigo?"

**Present time**

When she set foot in the Kurosaki house once again she wondered just how much things had changed. The Kurosakis greeted her warmly like they always did and then proceeded to go on with natural Kurosaki shenanigans. Ichigo scowled at his father's ramblings and as if by instinct led Rukia to the stairs.

"Why are you so eager to take her to your room Ichigo? The rest of us might want to spend some time with her too" Isshin taunted from the couch with a smile.

"Shut up old man!" Ichigo yelled and continued walking up the stairs glaring at a now laughing Rukia.

Here they were again. All those thoughts, reflections, and conclusions she'd came up with had been sent into a whirlwind once again the moment she saw his expressive brown eyes again. The funny thing was that even on the battlefield amongst all of the commotion he had managed to see right through her fearless mask.

"You want some tea?" He asked breaking her thoughts as he opened his bedroom door to let her in.

"Sure" She said and he simply turned around and headed back.

She walked in and took in the surroundings of the familiar room. It always felt safe. It felt like home. Every time she returned to Soul Society she would always wonder why the mansion didn't feel the same. It wasn't that the mansion was bigger in size per say, it would just feel inexplicably lifeless at times. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath taking in Ichigo's scent. She loved the feeling of peacefulness it brought to her, the feeling that filled the little cracks and voids in her heart.

The door opened and Ichigo came in with a tray. He noticed Rukia was staring out the window and proceeded to place the tray on his desk. She turned around and decided to just go ahead and sit on the bed so she walked quickly and plopped on it. Ichigo handed her a cup. He then sat on the desk chair and grabbed one for himself.

Rukia looked at the golden liquid in the cup and then looked up to meet Ichigo's chocolate eyes. "Looks like you've become a rather gracious host Ichigo" She said in a slightly mocking tone to liven up the mood and hide away any troubling feelings.

"And you didn't even throw a tantrum because I'm sitting on your bed!" She continued.

"Maybe you'd kick my butt now since you're a fukutaichou and all" He said with a half smile and took another sip of warm tea.

Rukia was running out of digs and was surprised at how Ichigo was acting. He was still the same Ichigo but…a little more grown up?

"After all this time I wasn't sure if I would see you again" He finally said in an unusual serious but calm tone.

"Baka" She said sternly, "Some things such as your thick skull will never change. How many times do I have to tell you I would never…" Dammit she couldn't continue. She had a feeling anything she said from here on would give away her feelings. She looked up and noticed Ichigo staring at her with those expressive brown eyes that were now becoming a weapon against her sanity.

A small smile graced his handsome features as he stood up from the chair and set his cup down. He took the cup from a still speechless Rukia and walked closer to her. He proceeded to kneel so he could make eye contact with the petite girl.

"Sorry. It's not that I didn't believe in you, I was _afraid_ I wouldn't see you again" He said softly. He then grabbed her chin. His hand was rough from countless fights but his touch was soft and tender. He closed the small distance between them and her eyes closed on their own. He pressed his lips on her rosy trembling ones. When his lips made contact with hers she felt lightheaded and her mind went blank. He broke the kiss to look into her eyes once more,

"Ichigo I-"

"Baka" He said tenderly and kissed her nose, "I know" He then kissed her gently by the ear and whispered "_You_ should also know some things will never change"

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><p>So after writing this I realized the confession was kind of implied hehe :p<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone!

This is a one-shot for the Deathberry IchiRuki forum's Valentine's Day/White Day contest. The theme is confession. It's short but I hope you enjoy it!

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><p><strong>Out of luck<strong>

A rowdy group of shinigami gathered at a bar after a fun hollow hunting day. It happened to be White Day in the real world and since Ichigo didn't want to be around all that mushiness he gladly accepted Renji's invitation to go over to SS for the weekend…

"Damn I feel for your dad..." Ikkaku said out of nowhere to Ichigo.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo asked as his scowl made its appearance.

"I don't get it either man" Hisagi chimed in shaking his head.

"He's just not man enough" Iba said with disappointment. Omaeda nodded in agreement.

"What the hell are you all talking about?" A now confused Ichigo asked.

"Oi Ichigo" Renji finally spoke after downing his drink. He then grabbed Ichigo's shoulders so that he could look at him deeply in the eyes.

"He's about to confess" Hisagi said and the rest of the drunken shinigami giggled.

"What?" Ichigo asked uncomfortably. Maybe Renji _was_ going to confess…

"Are you…_gay_?" The redhead said the last part shakily.

"You idiot!" Ichigo said loudly and swatted Renji's big hands off his shoulders. He then reached for his sake.

"Of course I'm not freaking gay" He said and took a swig of the clear liquid. He stayed quiet for a few seconds and stared at nothing in particular before speaking "It was my stupid dad wasn't it? He put you up to this." Ichigo said with displeasure. His father had been peskier than usual when it came down to his personal life.

"He just asked me to bring it up next time you came over. But you have to admit he does make a little bit of sense though. You haven't dated anyone that we know of and you're not a kid anymore. The only woman you ever spend time with is Rukia…" Renji said and searched Ichigo's eyes. He hoped that the orange head could either admit his feelings for the girl or his preference for men.

"You're being annoying" Ichigo said grumpily and looked away. He wasn't about to let these meddlesome shinigami in on his business.

"Seriously, do you even _like_ women?" Renji pressed yet again, "You're considered nakama to all of us, we won't judge…" He said with a nervous grin.

Ichigo's eye was twitching. He was about to punch the redhead in the face when Yumichika interrupted,

"Idiot" He said to Renji with a sly smile, "of course he likes women, and we all know the problem is not about whether he likes women but about _the_ woman he likes"

'_Damn'_ Ichigo thought. He really didn't want to deal with this tonight. "I think I'm gonna call it a night" He said as he tried to clumsily stand up but was quickly seated back down by Renji's big hand.

"So?" Yumichika asked defiantly.

"What?" Ichigo responded nervously.

"Dammit" Hisagi said frustrated of the situation and hit the counter with his fist, "Kuchiki isn't that scary that you can't confess is she?"

He was cornered. These men were even more persistent when they were drunk. He didn't have the energy to deny his feelings any longer or the intelligence to talk his way out of it now that his brain was swimming in sake.

"Just make sure Kuchiki taichou isn't around when you confess and it should be fine" Renji said to the orange head with a smile.

**A few hours of drinking later…**

Kenpachi was in a bad mood after hearing all that yapping. How could these men consider themselves _men_ and yet be having girly heart-to-heart conversations? An unusual evil idea crossed his mind as he observed the weaklings unable to handle their liquor.

"You know" He spoke and everyone's heads turned to him instantly, "Kuchiki is out on some mission this weekend"

"R-r-really?" Ichigo asked hopeful. Kenpachi nodded.

Ichigo smiled clumsily. This was just too perfect. His brain was flooded with random odd things such as if Rukia said yes their anniversary would always be on White Day and so he'd never forget the date. He stood up from the bar stool and puffed up his chest, "I'm going!" He slurred and with determination made his way to the Kuchiki Mansion.

The rest of the shinigami naturally tagged along for "support"

'_I don't remember the taichou being sent on a mission'_ Renji wondered but continued to cheer Ichigo on.

…

When the crowd of loud drunken shinigami got to the elegant Kuchiki Mansion and asked for Rukia, the sleepy servant that greeted them was in awe. Were these men serious? The servant unwillingly proceeded to get the small girl _and_ back up just to be on the safe side.

When Rukia got there she was astounded. Before she could say a word Ichigo beat her to it and started blurting incoherencies that sounded like something along the lines of "really like you and together with you"

"No" The petite girl said simply and crossed her arms.

"Huuuhhh? !" Ichigo said in disbelief. He had basically just declared his feelings for the girl and she had denied him flatly.

"Wh-why not?" He swallowed his pride and asked. She had to have a reason why. Was he really that terrible of a guy?

"Because" Rukia said firmly and raised an elegant finger, "One, you are drunk." She then added another finger "Secondly, you should know by now that things here are not the same as they are in the world of the living. You can't simply "go out" with someone just because you suddenly feel like it, especially not a Kuchiki."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud Kuchiki" Hisagi said form amongst the crowd.

"Save the formalities for later!" Another unidentified shinigami yelled. A vein popped by Rukia's head. Why was she even putting up with these drunken men again?

"That's right" Renji nodded his head rapidly, "Ichigo finally built up the courage to confess; you can't be so mean to a guy!" He said and pushed Ichigo forward.

The group of shinigami froze as they eagerly watched the events unfold. In their eyes, lady luck was definitely on Ichigo's side.

Due to his inebriated state, the young shinigami lost his footing and ended up toppling over the small girl. Ichigo's body was now pressed against her. Ichigo's warm, well-defined, muscular body;she could hear the fluttering of his steady heart…No! He was drunk _and_ being a fool. She pushed on his chest to create some distance between them and their eyes locked.

Even in his drunken state, her beauty made him nervous. Her mysterious eyes twinkled beautifully in the darkness of the night. Maybe lady luck was on his side after all…

"Kurosaki Ichigo"

Or not.

Byakuya's steady voice echoed in the room and everyone turned to look at the taichou, "What do you suppose you are doing to my sister?" He asked calmly.

"Umm…well…you see…Kenpachi said you were out on a mission" The orange head blurted pointing at the now smirking Kenpachi.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed and an uncharacteristic smile formed on his face. He had been waiting too long for this moment.

'_Crap'_ Renji thought. His taichou smiling like that was definitely not a good sign so he decided to make a sneaky leave. Byakuya eyed the rest of the excited shinigami who apparently thought this was a private show. He'd ask them to leave but an audience for what was about to happen didn't sound too bad.

'_Serves him right for being such a pansy'_ Kenpachi thought of Ichigo and walked away with satisfaction.


End file.
